


Nightingale

by smithy_of_words



Category: Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Origins
Genre: F/F, Kaia Tabris, Vague Mentions of past violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-11
Updated: 2015-08-11
Packaged: 2018-04-14 06:01:15
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,005
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4553439
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/smithy_of_words/pseuds/smithy_of_words
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kaia goes to Zevran and prepares a surprise for Leliana's name day.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Nightingale

   Kaia waited until Leliana was deeply engrossed in her conversation with Wynne before she snuck away.  
Pressing her fingers to her lips, she silently stared at Dog and willed him to be quiet.  
As delicately as she could manage, Kaia avoided the small groups of the newly fallen leaves, dry and sure to make noise if trod upon by even the lightest elf.

   Finally, she made it to Zevran’s tent, where she quickly crouched down and hissed.  
“Hey! Zevran. Are you in there?”  
A small chuckle came from behind the flaps, so Kaia took that as a yes and ducked inside.

  
   Zevran had his equipment all ready; needles, small bottles of ink, clean rags, and some kind of tincture – all were neatly organized in small rows.  
Kaia gulped, a bit startled at the prospect of what she was about to do.  
Zevran patted his bedroll, motioning for her to sit beside him.  
   “Everything go as planned, my dear warden?”  
Kaia nodded, “She will be very surprised.”  
Zevran smiled, “Good. I look forward to aiding you. Now, we must begin by having you remove your tunic and cloak.”  
Kaia’s face burned a bit at this, but nodded all the same. This wouldn’t very well work with clothing still on…  
Before she could change her mind, Kaia stripped off her outer garments.  
Hugging her knees to her chest, she shivered a bit, partially cold, but also embarrassed to be in another’s tent in only her breast band and trousers.  
(Well, with anyone else besides Leliana, that is.)  
   Zevran tapped on her shoulder lightly, “Just here, yes? Shall I begin?”  
Kaia just gritted her teeth and nodded, “Let’s just get this over with.”  
—

   About an hour passed, and Leliana had finished her conversation. It was nearly time to go to sleep before her watch started, but she had grown accustomed to Kaia’s presence and warmth during the night, and began searching for her.  
Alistair hadn’t seen her.  
Morrigan said much the same, although in a much cooler manner.  
Wynne had been busy talking to Leliana, and even Dog seemed to not know where his companion had gone.  
So all that left was Zevran.  
Leliana made sure to make lots of noise with her footsteps as she approached his tent – after all, she absolutely didn’t want to catch him in a state of undress.

   As she neared the entrance, Zevran stuck his head out.  
“Ah, hello my lovely lady. Come to seek shelter from the cold in my foreign arms?”  
Sometimes even Leliana blushed at his insinuations and bawdy remarks, her bard training not preparing her for the blunt and overt nature of his flirtations.  
Today was different, however, and she had begun to get worried. Where could Kaia be? It wasn’t like her to leave without telling anyone.  
   She smiled back, ignoring his remarks, “No, I’m just looking for Kaia. Have you seen her?”  
Zevran chuckled, laughing at some private joke, no doubt.  
“Hmm…I did see her a little while ago. She mentioned something about waiting for you in your tent.”  
Leliana straightened up, daring him to mention their love life.  
“Well… thank you. You’ve been most helpful.”

She hurried to her tent, leaving behind a smirking and very self-satisfied Zevran.

   When she got there, her eyes widened in surprise.  
There was Kaia, sitting with her back toward the entrance, naked from the waist up, save for a bandage on her left shoulder.  
Leliana sighed, the tension flowing from her.  
   “My love, where have you been? I was getting worried. I couldn’t find you anywhere.”  
Kaia turned slightly, gazing back over her shoulder playfully.  
“Oh, Leliana. I think you’ve caught me at a very delicate moment.”  
Leliana knelt down behind her, softly stroking the skin on her exposed back.  
It bore raised scars from a hard childhood, and an incident Kaia refused to speak about, but she was still beautiful to Leliana.  
“What is this bandage for? Have you been injured?”  
Kaia smiled mysteriously.  
“No… well, in a sense… but only of my choosing.”  
Leliana arched a brow in confusion.

   Before she could ask more, she placed her hands in Leliana’s, placing them at the edge of the fabric.  
“Now, it’s still fresh, so I’ll have to apply oil and cover it right away, but I couldn’t resist not letting you see it.”  
Leliana’s curiosity got the better of her, and she peeled the fabric away from Kaia’s skin gently.  
   “Hmm?” She inquired, seeing a dark series of lines seemingly pressed into Kaia’s skin, but crusted over with the remnants of what seemed to be a fresh wound.  
Kaia smiled softly, “It’s a nightingale. I remember you saying that they were your favorite bird for how sweetly they sang, so…I thought you might like it.”  
Leliana removed her knife from her scabbard and cut a bit more bandage from a cloth by Kaia’s side.  
With all the gentleness she could muster, she replaced the old bandage, pressing a tiny kiss to it.  
   Kaia turned around to face Leliana now, her shame forgotten.  
“You… you do like it, don’t you?”  
Leliana grinned back, “Oh, my dear, I love it. It is very sweet of you to mark yourself like this for me. It’s as if it’s a small emblem of our bond – a secret only we know.”

   Kaia chuckled, “Well… the two of us… and Zevran. He is the artist of this little tribute.”  
Leliana rolled her eyes and pressed a soft kiss to Kaia’s forehead.  
“Oh… that makes sense. I thought he looked unusually suspicious.”  
Kaia laughed, “Well, I’m glad he didn’t give anything away. I was worried he’d spill my secrets. So… best name day gift?”  
Leliana nodded, “The best, absolutely. I like it even more than Lady Celine’s jeweled hat.”  
Kaia giggled, “An amazing admission on your part. But I have one more surprise for you.”  
Leliana let her gaze sweep over Kaia now, “And what would that be?”  
Kaia smirked, “Come a little closer and find out…just watch my shoulder, will you?”


End file.
